Minami Tamaki LLP is a San Francisco-based law firm serving clients in the areas of Personal Injury, Consumer and Employment Rights, Corporate and Nonprofit Counseling, and Immigration and Nationality Law.
Our History
For more than 50 years, Minami Tamaki LLP has provided trusted legal counsel to individuals, families, and organizations across California and beyond. We were founded in 1975 by a group of attorneys who believed the law should be a tool to achieve good.
Founding attorney Dale Minami and future partner Donald K. Tamaki were part of the team that helped overturn the wrongful conviction of Fred Korematsu, a Japanese American who defied the government's orders to incarcerate people of Japanese ancestry during World War II. Korematsu was arrested, convicted, and lost his case before the U.S. Supreme Court in 1944.
Decades later, secret government documents came to light showing that U.S. officials knowingly misled the Court about the supposed national security threat posed by Japanese Americans. Our firm helped lead the effort to reopen the case, and in 1983, Korematsu's conviction was overturned, a landmark moment in civil rights and constitutional law.
Our founding attorneys helped change history. Today, we continue that legacy in courtrooms, conference rooms, and communities across the state. Whether we're representing a client in a catastrophic injury case, challenging discrimination, helping a nonprofit grow, or navigating the complexities of immigration law, we bring dedication, integrity, and purpose to every case.
What We Do
Our attorneys serve clients by applying award-winning legal expertise, competitive rates, and personalized service. Each of our practice areas is led by attorneys deeply experienced in that field, allowing us to offer focused expertise with the personalized service our clients deserve. Though our practice areas are diverse, our philosophy is consistent: listen carefully, fight hard, and pursue meaningful outcomes.
Our Reputation
Our firm and attorneys have earned numerous awards for the work we have done:
- Our firm was named one of California's Top Ranked Law Firms by LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell. Our firm is one of only 222 law firms in California – out of nearly 43,000 considered – to receive this recognition. Only 32 firms in San Francisco made the list.
- Our attorneys have been recognized by Super Lawyers, named to the Top 500 lawyers in the country list by LawDragon magazine, and named some of the best attorneys in the Bay Area by Bay Area Lawyer Magazine.
- Our firm was honored as the inaugural Asian Pacific American Law Firm of the Year by the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association.
- Our firm's work has been spotlighted in national, local, and legal media, including The New York Times, Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, 60 Minutes, ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, Fox, Court TV, Daily Journal, and The Recorder.
Our Track Record
Our attorneys have won historic and precedent-setting legal cases and have served as leaders in their respective areas of the law. Our notable legal cases include:
- The successful reopening of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case of Korematsu v. the United States;
- A class-action lawsuit against TV and LCD panel manufacturers in Asia for overcharging their customers, resulting in the largest ($1.05 billion) antitrust monetary recovery in history for consumers;
- Litigation resulting in the only known settlement against Tesla involving its autonomous vehicle technology in a wrongful death case, brought on behalf of the surviving family of a husband and father.
- The Popov vs. Hayashi case involving the dispute over Barry Bonds's record-breaking 73rd home run ball;
- Demmons vs. City and County of San Francisco (class action that desegregated the San Francisco Fire Department);
- Donnelly vs. U.S. Department of Agriculture (class action on behalf of women against sexual harassment in the U.S. Forest Service).
Our Community Involvement
Minami Tamaki LLP attorneys are active in the communities we serve. Our team members have served on boards and advisory committees for the ACLU, Asian Americans Advancing Justice, the American Immigration Council, Chinese for Affirmative Action, and dozens of other impactful organizations.
We have served on judicial selection committees and as commissioners on state and federal bodies. We also dedicate significant time to volunteering and community service, contributing to efforts that improve our local, state, and national communities.
Our attorneys and staff are bilingual in a number of languages, including Cantonese, Japanese, Mandarin, Korean, Spanish, Tagalog, Hindi, Gujarati, and Vietnamese.